


When You Were Mine

by louisianaspell



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1940s, 40s Actress!Reader, Actress!Reader, Alternate Universe - World War II, F/M, Female Reader, Friends to Lovers, Historical Inaccuracy, Old Hollywood - Freeform, Reader-Insert, cross posted from tumblr, non Canon, shitty parenting, stage mother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-06-26 19:25:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15669726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisianaspell/pseuds/louisianaspell
Summary: You’re a young successful actress, in an attempt to gain your independence from your overbearing stage mother, your manager suggests you join a USO show heading over to Europe. While on the tour you meet two men that will change your life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are mentions of abuse, no descriptions or scenes just mentions.

Steve pulled off the cowl of his stage costume as he sat down on one of the stage props backstage during the brief window between back-to-back shows. He pulled out one of the few books he had managed to bring with him to keep his mind busy during his down time, but the sound of voices from another room was making it hard for him to focus. Steve knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help it. It was honestly the serum’s fault, it’s not like he wanted to listen in on other people’s conversations, he just couldn’t help it since he was still getting used to his new enhanced abilities. As much as he didn’t want to, he kept listening to the two chorus girls gossip while pretending to read the book he held in his hands.

“Did ya hear? We’re getting a big Hollywood star joinin’ the tour.”

“Oh?! And what star would that be?”

“Y/N. I just happened to overhear the senator’s man bragging about booking her. Apparently, he said she’s goin’ overseas with us, ya know so she can help raise the boys morale.”

“Yea, I don’t think its just their morale she’ll be raising, if ya catch my drift.”

“Oh, you’re terrible!”

Steve listens to the women’s laughter as he thinks back on all the times he dragged Bucky to see Y/N’s films, not that Bucky ever put up much of a fight whenever Steve suggested they see a movie and her’s just happened to be playing. For an hour or so, they could sit in a dark theater, forget their real world problems and focus on the her beautiful presence on the large screen. Bucky would often say that going to the movies was their way of “visiting their girl.”

When they were younger and Y/N was a young hollywood star just starting to become a household name, the two boys would often talk about what they would do if they ever had a chance to take her out on a date. Even before Bucky earned his reputation around the neighborhood for being a charmer, his imaginary dates with her were always over the top and Steve never doubted for a single second that Bucky would be able to sweep her off her feet if given the chance. Bucky’s date often started off by picking her up in a fancy car and greeting her with the largest bouquet of flowers money could buy, then taking her to dinner at Tavern on the Green, followed by dancing at the best clubs that Manhattan had to offer.

It didn’t matter how many times that Steve pointed out to Bucky that neither one of them could even afford to look at Tavern on the Green, let alone actually take a date there and eat a full meal there, Bucky would ruffle his hair and laugh at him.

“Come on, punk. Our girl deserves the best, we can’t have her running back to tinsel town and marrying one of her no good co-stars, can we? Now, how you do plan on charming her?” Bucky would often remark, as if either young man had any real chance with her.

No matter what he tried, Steve’s dream date with her was always ending being realistic and boring when he compared them to the glamorous night Bucky had come up with. Steve imagined taking her to the Met, since he figured a girl as beautiful as her should be surrounded by art as breathtaking as her. After that Steve could never decide if he’d take her for a walk through Central Park or spring for one of those carriage rides through the park. He supposes the carriage ride would be more romantic and girls seemed to like that kind of stuff. Of course, after sharing his date idea with Bucky, his best friend would get that big dumb grin on his face and tease Steve.

“Are ya tryin’ to drive her into Clark Gable or Gary Cooper’s arms?! Ya gotta go big, Stevie. Our girl is probably being wined and dined by those heartbreakers in Hollywood right now as we speak. We gotta compete with that. Now, try again. Come on, sky’s the limit!”

Steve smiled at the memories, he wondered how Bucky would react to finding out that Y/N was going to be joining him on tour. Excited and probably pretty jealous, Steve decides. He’s tempted to write to Bucky and brag about the likelihood of meeting their dream girl, but then that would mean explaining the super serum experiment and the whole Captain America thing and he didn’t think that was a good idea. Man, did he wanna rub it in Bucky’s face that he’s gonna meet the girl they spent countless hours and dollars watching at the movie theater.

You sat in your usual chair in your manager, Richard’s office, your hands folded neatly on your lap and your legs crossed at the ankle. The two of you made it a habit of meeting up at least once a week to check in with each other, he claimed that he liked staying up-to-date with everything that was going on in your career, but you knew better. Richard was well aware of how your mother treated you, he had seen his fair share of stage mothers during his time in Hollywood, but goddamn if your mother didn’t take being a stage mother to a whole new level. To be honest she cost you as many jobs as she got you, you were honestly lucky that Richard worked hard to make sure you weren’t branded as “difficult to work with” because of her antics. You were always thankful to have Richard in your corner, in the years that you had known each other, the man was more like a father figure than just a manager.

“Here’s the latest scripts the studio wants you to take a look at, some good parts in there for ya, kid.” Richard pushes a stack of scripts across his desk, you’re tempted to roll your eyes as you pick up the scripts knowing it’s probably just another bunch of kid sister or immature love interest roles. “There’s another thing I wanna discuss with you before you leave.”

“I told ya, Rich. I don’t wanna sign on for more pictures until Louis promises to give me better roles, I feel like I’ve earned it. My pictures have done really well and there was even award talk for the last one.” You said, just like you and mother had rehearsed last night and then again this morning before you left for this meeting.

Richard shook his head, even though he knew that was something your mother had no doubt told you to say, he had agree with the old broad. “That’s not what I’m talking about, at least not right now. I think I found a way to get you away from Herman and your mother, for a few months anyway.”

“Really?!” You perked up at the possibility of finally being on your own, even for a little while. Your mother was constant unpleasant fixture in your life, even as a woman in her 20s you couldn’t seem to get away from her. Now her latest obsession was trying to basically sell you off to the older powerful men in Hollywood, wife or mistress, it didn’t matter to her as long as they were rich and could help your career. Herman was just the latest “suitor” she was trying to snag, mother didn’t care that he was over forty years older than you or that he constantly smelled like horrible body odor mixed with stale booze and cigars, she just cared that he was a wealthy director with a lot of pull.

“Now, it’s not gonna sound glamorous, but I want you to keep in mind all the pros. Like not having your ma breathing down your neck and that its all for a good cause.” He explained.

“I’m starting to think this isn’t going to be a good idea.” You said, furrowing your brow.

“Nah, it’s all good. I promise ya, doll. Okay, so how would you feel going on a USO tour in Europe? I know a guy who can set it all up, plus think of all the good publicity you’d get.” Rich stared at you with a hopeful look on his face, he knew this would be a longshot but he had to try.

“Europe? Where they’re fighting? You want me to go where there’s fighting?” You asked, trying to not to panic. “Is mother truly that bad that you’re willing to send me to the frontlines to get away from her?”

Rich walks out from behind his desk and kneels beside your chair and holds one your hands in his, “Sweetheart, I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it, your ma is a real piece of work and if she’s not careful she’s gonna tank your whole career. This business with men like Herman, its gonna get you a real bad reputation that you don’t want. So yes, I am willing to send you overseas to get you away from her.”

You stare into Richard’s eyes, looking for some sort sign that he’s lying to you or that he’d doing this for his own benefit, but you see only a look of paternal concern. Deep down you knew this was probably the only real way of getting away from her, if you did a U.S. war bond tour she would no doubt follow you. But you know there would be no chance in hell she would follow you across an ocean if meant being anywhere near the fighting.

You squeezed Richard’s hand, “I don’t want mother finding out, you know she’ll be angry and try anything to stop this from happening.”

“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll keep it under lock and key. I won’t even tell my old lady.” He reassured you.

“Let’s do it. Call your guy and tell him I’ll do it.” You smile at Richard hoping that this will be the first step towards your first taste of independence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been awhile! So here's chapter 2! I promise that much like winter, Bucky is coming! Just be patient with me.

Standing in front of your large closet, you wondered how in the world you were suppose to pack clothes for this tour and not have your mother notice what you were doing. You had packed most of the smaller items you would need while traveling, sine missing toiletries and undergarments could easily be explained away. But clothing? How could you explain to your mother why large portions of your wardrobe had suddenly gone missing. It never cease to amaze you that you were capable of playing any role the studio handed you and make it your own, but the moment you had to come up with a lie to tell your mother, no matter how small, you’d freeze quicker than a raindrop in winter.

You had caught a lucky break not too long after Richard booked you for the tour, your mother had become bedridden for almost two weeks with pneumonia and unable to escort you to the studio. You took full advantage of this small slice of freedom, you had given Richard the already packed suitcases for him to hold onto so that your mother didn’t accidentally stumble upon them and find out what you were really doing. You were even able to squeeze in a meeting with your lawyer to sign off on some last minute changes to your will, if you learned one lesson from your mother is was that it's better to be prepared than caught out in the cold. Now that she was recovered and resumed escorting you everywhere, the task of packing had become increasingly difficult. Richard often bugged you about it, saying that you were scheduled to leave for New York in a few days and needed to be ready.

You sat on the edge of your bed, nervously biting your nails while trying to think of ways to make this work whole scheme work. You could feel anxiety starting to bubble up inside you, you couldn’t see a way of this working out. God, how stupid could you be thinking that this crazy plans of Richard’s would work. You didn’t have it too bad with mother, she looked out for you and made sure you stayed on the right path. She often said that she only wanted what was best for you. So why couldn’t you be more grateful and a better daughter instead of trying to find a way to runaway from her.

The sound of your mother barging into your room momentarily brought you out of your guilty spiral. You were thankful that you hadn’t yet taken out your larger suitcases as she walked towards you. She looked at the open closet doors and you sitting on your bed destroying your perfectly manicured nails.

“What have I repeatedly told you about this disgusting habit of yours?” She pulls your hand from your mouth, surveying the damage you caused. “You have a shoot early tomorrow morning, what are they going to say when they see this? Do you think your co-star is going to want to be touched by you after seeing your disgusting hands?”

“No, ma’am. I’m sorry, I just got nervous and I…” You quietly replied.

“You stupid girl, what on earth do you have to be nervous about?”

“I, uh…” you hesitated, trying to think of answer that sounded believable.

“Out with it, I don’t have all night. I need to see if I can find someone to come over and fix your mess.”

“Auditions?” You nervously answer, looking at your hands while trying to avoid eye contact hoping that she won’t notice that you’re lying to her.

“I thought we agreed on no more auditions until you get a better contract.” She shakes her head, letting out an annoyed sigh. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have trusted to you to pass on a simple message to that no good man you call a manger.” 

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I just...forgot.” You apologize, knowing it was better not to argue with her. It’s just better to take the blame and hope she’ll move on to something else. You go to bed that night hoping that you or Richard can come up with a cover story tomorrow.

The next day on set, Richard stops by to see if you had any more suitcases for him to hide. He looks around your small dressing room and frowns when he notices the lack of luggage.

“I thought you were suppose to finish packing last night.” He states, leaning against the doorway.

“I got nervous,” you shrug. “I can explain why I bought new stockings, but how exactly am I supposed to explain why nearly half my clothes are gone?” You look back at Richard through your vanity mirror, touching up your make-up.

This is exactly what Richard hated. You were a grown woman with a successful career and here you were sitting in front of him incapable of telling your mother you were leaving town for work. He had children of his own that were about your age, he had been so proud to see them leave the nest and begin lives of their own. He couldn’t help but have the same hopes for you, he watched you grow up from the little girl too shy to speak directly to him into a glamorous starlet, but it was clear to see that not only had your mother clipped your wings but she also locked you away in a gilded cage that you paid for.

“Look, kid. Today is your last day of filming, you leave for New York bright and early tomorrow morning. Ya can’t show up with just the clothes on your back.”

“I dunno, Rich. Maybe this isn’t the best idea, I mean what in the world would I even do to entertain soldiers? Why don’t we just see if the studio will send some of my films or maybe even some signed headshots or something. Isn’t that easier?” You asked, you weren’t sure if you were trying to convince Rich or yourself that this was a terrible idea.

Richard sighed and shook his head, just because he was used to your frequent last minute cold feet when it came to making big decisions it didn’t mean that it doesn’t frustrate the hell out of him. He walked over to your vanity and pulled an empty chair next to you and turns you towards him. “You need this, if you don’t your ma is gonna make sure those apron strings are nice and tight. I know you love her, but she’s a leech, kiddo. Ya gotta get away from her before she bleeds you dry.”

“I know, I just don’t know how.” You quietly answered.

“I can take care of that while you’re away, I’ll make sure your life is all yours before you step foot back in California.”

“Okay, if you’re sure you can do it.”

“Doll, I promise, it’ll be done before you come home. She’ll be out of your house and won’t be able to touch a dime of your money.”

You let out a sigh, feeling a bit better about this crazy plan. “Fine, but what about an act? What am I supposed to do? Just get up there and what? Put on a play or something?”

Richard repositions you so that you’re once again facing the mirror, “take a good look at yourself, doll. You’re drop dead gorgeous, I doubt those boys care what you do on stage. You could get up on stage and recite the alphabet for an hour and those soldiers are gonna swear that it was the greatest show they’d ever seen.”

“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind as I embarrass myself in front of everyone.” You joke.

“Why don’t ya sing something? I mean, you’ve got a great voice and I think they’d love hearing you sing a few tunes. There’s a reason it always comes down to you and Judy those musicals.” Richard suggests, sitting back down in his chair.

“Yes, and they always go with Judy.” You mumbled under your breath and rolled your eyes, Richard knew the moment he mentioned Judy’s name he was hitting a sore spot since you had lost more than a few major roles to her in the past. 

“Alright here’s some advice, kid. This is probably stealing a page out of your ma’s playbook, but if you wear something short and tight, those soldier boys are gonna fall in love with you and forget the name Judy Garland.”

A knock on your dressing room door signaled that you were needed on set once again. You said a quick goodbye to Richard with a promise to finish packing tonight.

“I’ll figure out what to tell your mother, you just worry about packing.” Richard said as he watched you leave the room.

You arrived home that night exhausted and wanting nothing more than to take a long hot bath and sleep for at least a day, but you made a promise to Richard to finish packing. You walked into your closet, pulling out your large suitcases and began the task of filling each one, making sure you pull items that would fit into Rich’s criteria of short and tight, adding it to the pieces your friends in the wardrobe department happily managed to sneak out for you. 

It had taken a good several hours of you second guessing each piece of clothing you pulled out of your closet before you were able to finish and call it a night. After soaking in a hot bath to relax your tense muscles, you were lying in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep knowing that in just a few short hours your mother was going to find out you were leaving for god knows how long without her.

Richard and your mother had been arguing for what felt like an eternity and nothing you did could get them to stop. It was no surprise that your mother had absolutely hated the idea of you leaving without her, she rambled on about the dangers of traveling alone to a city like New York to perform, and heaven forbid what Herman would think when he finds out you went alone. As if you cared what that gross old man thought of you. Richard to his credit tried being reasonable at first, he talked about all the good publicity this tour would bring you and how it could lead to a big bargaining chip when it comes time to negotiate for a new contract. But your mother was being too stubborn to listen to reason, her golden goose was leaving the nest and she was losing control. Finally, realizing that if you didn’t leave the house soon you would miss your flight, you tried appealing to her need for money and influence. 

“Mother, I am sure that Senator Brandt would consider this to be a personal favor. You always say there’s nothing better in life than having a powerful man in your debt, I’m sure Herman won’t miss me too much when you tell him that I’ll be in the care of a sitting US Senator and you’ll still be here to keep him company.”

You couldn’t help but feel excited and hopeful as you watched your mother’s disapproving glare disappear from view as you and Richard drove away. 

__

A strange feeling washed over Steve as he walked the once familiar streets of Brooklyn heading towards his old apartment, this was his first time back home since bootcamp, the experiment and now this war bonds tour. He thought being back in the city would make him feel better, but instead he found it left him feeling kind of empty. He had no family to come home to and his only true friend, Bucky, was god knows where in Europe. Steve felt bad for not writing Bucky since he had taken serum, but he didn’t want the guilt of having to lie to his best friend. Besides, it’s not like the truth would have any easier to explain, Steve was sure that if he told Bucky the truth that Bucky would think Steve lost his damn mind. Could you imagine the letter?

_Dear Bucky,  
Remember how you told me not to do anything stupid before you left? Well, as soon as you left I volunteered to take a super secret experimental drug that has made me into a one-of-a-kind super soldier. Now I’m traveling around the country selling war bonds and punching a fake Hitler in the face. Anyway, how are things on the frontlines?_

Steve could almost hear Bucky screaming at him from the frontlines. So instead of opening that can of worms, Steve opted for radio silence in the hope that if and when he ever sees Bucky again Steve would have come up with a way to make him understand everything.

He walks up the stairway to his old apartment, his landlord was only too happy to let Steve keep the apartment, after all how often can you say that a celebrity lives in your run down apartment building? Steve bent down to retrieve the spare key that was hidden underneath a loose brick and opened the door to his home. An odd feeling came over Steve as he walked into the place he once called home, could he even call it his home anymore? Everything tying him to the place was now gone, his parents were buried in a nearby cemetery and Bucky was off fighting a war. What else was left for him in Brooklyn? He sat down in his old threadbare chair, the one his mother and Bucky insisted on putting closest to the heater so Steve wouldn’t catch a cold during the winter, that was now too small for his new large body. Everything in the apartment felt like it belonged to another person and Steve was an intruder. These past few months Steve spent sleeping in hotel rooms, train cars and the occasional bus seat, all of those places felt more like home than this old apartment. He gathered up some of his old art supplies and said one last goodbye to the place before closing the door behind him unsure if he would ever return.

Steve wasn’t sure how he ended up at the concert venue, but he stood in front of the building looking up at his name, well not technically his name but he’s Captain America so he counts it as his name, on the large bright marquee. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to seeing his name in the bright lights, it probably didn’t help the butterflies in his stomach to see the addition of Y/N’s name added to his. To think, he went from being a scrawny nobody from Brooklyn to being Captain America and less than twenty-four hours from sharing a one of the largest stages in New York City with his favorite actress. Steve shyly smiled and shook his head, he never could have imagined his life would lead him here.

He may not be in Europe fighting alongside Bucky and the rest of the 107th like he originally wanted, but Steve was thankful that at least his shows were helping to raise money for the war effort. He often liked to think that the bonds he was selling made sure the 107th always had the supplies they needed. Steve was also quick to remind himself that he could still be that skinny sickly kid back in Brooklyn scavenging for scrap metal. 

“Oh, you’re here too.” The voice of the nameless security guard caught Steve off guard.

“Pre show jitters, took a walk to clear my head and ended up here. Never thought in a million years that my name would be up in those lights.” Steve answers, nodding towards the marquee.

“Ya know, she said the same thing when I ran into her.”

“I’m not the only one here?” Steve asked, part of him felt a little relieved that he wasn’t the only nervous about tomorrow night’s show.

“Nope, a pretty little thing showed up about 20 minutes ago sayin’ she’s performing in the show, one of your chorus girls I think, I didn’t see any harm in letting her get used to the stage.”

The older man led Steve through the lobby and into the auditorium portion of the venue, the sheer size of the venue took his breath away. He had seen the notice stating that tickets were sold out on the side of the building and on the ticket booth, but now that he was seeing just how many people were going to be in attendance made him want to throw up.

“There she is,” the guard points towards the stage where a young woman sat on the edge of the stage with the spotlight on her. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Steve could hear the faint sounds of her quietly singing to herself, something about her soft voice sounded familiar.

“I’ll tell ya the same thing I told her, feel free to stay as long as you’d like just let me know before you leave so I can lock up.” The guard tipped his hat to Steve before walking away, leaving Steve to stand alone in front of the stage, the young woman still unaware she now had an audience.


End file.
